High Hopes for Greenhouses

Almeria, in southern Spain, was virtually unknown to the world outside modern Spain until Italian film directors began shooting the so-called ‘spaghetti westerns’ there during the 1960s. But it is now better known for its greenhouses. These huge artificial structures are identifiable from outer space and, located in the western part of the city, they are about half the size of Seoul (300 square kilometres). In the eyes of scientists, they act like a huge mirror on the surface of the Earth and provide a useful place to measure the effects of solar radiation.
The barren land in Almeria has been turned into a rich agricultural area that produces millions of tonnes of vegetables and fruits for export to the rest of Europe. But the Global Environment Outlook, published by the United Nations Environment Program, picked Almeria as one of the places where environmental changes have taken place most rapidly. As evidence, it presented comparisons between satellite photos taken in 1974 and 2004. There are also allegations that underground water supplies and the soil have been contaminated. And the disposal of 'agricultural garbage', which amounts to a million tonnes a year, is a headache.
But, interestingly, a research team from the University of Almeria has found a positive effect of the ‘sea of plastic,’ so-called because of the amount of man-made material used to make the greenhouses: The temperature there has apparently dropped 0.9 degree Celsius in the past 30 years, while other provinces of Spain rose 1 degree Celsius. The team claims that the greenhouses reflect as much sunlight as glaciers, which have the highest reflective capability and reduce radiant heat. They believe the greenhouses can actually help reduce global warming.

Greenhouses on the outskirt of Seoul

A greenhouse tomato field

In Korea, plastic greenhouses were a symbol of hope for low-income families. In the 1960s, the late President Park Chung-hee (朴正熙, 박정희, 1917-1979) suggested these greenhouses could help poor farmers. The green vegetables that grew in these places during cold winters changed Korean people’s dietary habits and people who could not afford decent homes, or who lost theirs due to disasters, could find temporary shelter inside. Some people even used them as makeshift buildings inside greenbelt areas where construction is prohibited.
The government has announced a plan to build housing units for low-income families inside a greenbelt area already occupied by many plastic greenhouses. Aiming to exploit this opportunity, people are belatedly building plastic greenhouses inside greenbelt areas or changing their addresses to that of greenhouses there.
These are just some of the more diverse uses of plastic greenhouses, though the ones in Seoul are unlikely to be spotted from outer space just yet!

Giorgio Olivotto
Photos by Chong Myo-hwa
Seoul, Korea

June 27, 2010